International Symposium On ‘Children’s Literature’
Delegates from various parts of the world interacting at an international symposium on ‘Children’s Literature’ organised in Coimbatore on Tuesday. Despite its popularity among children, the Internet has not managed to wean them away from books. The innate love for stories and the tactile experience books lend retain the charm of children’s literature. Experts on children’s literature from different parts of the world shared their views with The Hindu on issues related to the growth and development of children’s literature worldwide. They were in Coimbatore attending the two-day international symposium on children’s literature hosted by the International Research Society for Children’s Literature.
“The intimacy with a book is rarely replaced by the Internet and it is wrong to generalise that books do not hold children’s fascination anymore,” said Alida Allison, Professor, Founding Member, National Centre for the Study of Children’s Literature, San Diego State University. “A lot of money is involved in the children’s books publishing industry and the number of books published in the United Kingdom is still very high,” said Pamela Knights, Senior Lecturer, Durham University, the U.K.
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter had transcended geographical as well as linguistic boundaries in terms of attracting readership. It had caught the imagination of children world over. In Sweden, the book was the single inspiration for hundreds of children to learn how to read, said Helene Ehriander, Senior Lecturer, Department of Comparative Literature, Vaxjo University, Sweden. “These children discovered the joy of reading through Harry Potter,” she said. Globalisation had changed the structure of the publishing industry, observed Mavis Reimer, Associate Professor, Department of English, Canada Research Chair in the Culture of Childhood. Money was invested by multinational corporations and the industry was abound with replications of the Harry Potter formula.
There had been a gradual yet undeniable change in the kind of books children read now when compared to the earlier years. The conventional happy endings were passé, Ms. Knights observed. “In fact, some of the endings could shock you,” she added. Kimberley Reynolds, Professor, School of English Literature, Newcastle University, U.K, said: “A lot of topics that were considered taboo in children’s literature have now become acceptable.” ‘Activist books’ were attracting a lot of attention. For instance, there had been books that talked about the issues of refugee children and the environment, said Clare Bradford, Professor, School of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University, Australia. She is also the president of the International Research Society for Children’s Literature.
C. Anto Thomas, Lecturer, Department of English, St. Thomas College, Trichur, said children’s literature was marginalised in India. While western universities dedicated full-fledged courses in children’s literature, it was only an optional paper in Indian universities. “Children’s literature is perceived differently in other parts of the world. Children’s literature produced in India has not been able to rise to international standards,” he added.
